A ternary CdS@Au-g-CN heterojunction-based photoelectrochemical immunosensor for prostate specific antigen detection using graphene oxide-CuS as tags for signal amplification.

Photoactive materials with high photo-electron transfer efficiency and stable signal output hold a key role in constructing the photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing systems. In this study, the ternary CdS@Au-g-CN heterojunction was first prepared and characterized, and its application in PEC bioanalysis was explored. The gold nanoparticles sandwiched between CdS and g-CN, acting as both plasmonic photosensitizer and electron relay, significantly boosted the light absorption and accelerated the charge transfer from g-CN to CdS, both of which contributed to the enhancement of photoelectric conversion efficiency. Signal quenching with graphene oxide-CuS efficiently weakened the photocurrent from CdS@Au-g-CN. The combination of the excellent PEC properties of CdS@Au-g-CN and the remarkable quenching effects of graphene oxide-CuS enabled construction of a sandwich-type PEC immunosensor for prostate specific antigen (PSA) detection. This immunosensor achieved sensitive PSA analysis by multiple signal amplification mechanisms, with a detection limit of 0.6 pg mL and a wide linear range from 1.0 pg mL to 10 ng mL. This work not only demonstrates the great potential of noble metal sandwiched ternary heterojunctions in the PEC field, but also lays a foundation for developing the general PEC immunoassays.